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President Moon Jae-in (left) and first lady Kim Jung-sook, on an official visit to the Vatican, attend the Special Mass for Peace on the Korean Peninsula held at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 17.

President Moon Jae-in, on an official visit to the Holy See, attended the Mass for Peace on the Korean Peninsula at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 17. “A declaration to end the war on the Korean Peninsula and the signing of a peace treaty will be akin to dissolving the last remaining Cold War regime on earth,” said the President in his remarks delivered after the mass. “We will achieve peace and overcome division without fail.”

President Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook attended the mass presided over by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

It is unprecedented for the Holy See to offer a special mass for the peace of a country. It is also rare for Cardinal Parolin, equivalent to prime minister, to preside over a mass or for a leader of a country to deliver a speech after a mass. Cheong Wa Dae said that these things show the special interest in and consideration from the Vatican towards settling peace on the Korean Peninsula.

President Moon Jae-in (front row, left) and first lady Kim Jung-sook (front row, second from left) listen to the sermon during the Mass for Peace on the Korean Peninsula at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 17.

The mass that lasted for an hour was attended by some 500 people, including Vatican priests, local diplomats, Korean officials, local Korean residents and students.

At the beginning of the mass, Cardinal Parolin welcome the guests in Korean saying “Welcome President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook. I deliver you the blessing from Pope Francis. Let us pray for peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

“Once again, I beg God for the gift of peace for the whole world,” said Parolin during his homily. “Let us pray so that the word ‘peace’ can ring throughout the Korean Peninsula especially after many years of tension and division.”

Considering that most of the congregation was Korean, the cardinal only read the first paragraph of his homily in Italian. The rest was read out in Korean by Father Jang Yi-tae. .

President Moon is a long-time Catholic with the baptismal name of Timothy, which means a person who respects God.

President Moon Jae-in urges the international community to support the settlement of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula after attending the Special Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica for Peace on the Korean Peninsula on Oct. 17.

President Moon delivered a speech after the mass. He said that, “As written in the book of Psalms, love and truth will meet, and justice and peace will embrace each other in a kiss now on the Korean Peninsula.”

“The prayers we have offered for peace on the Korean Peninsula in St. Peter’s Basilica today will also resound as echoes of hope in the hearts of the people of the two Koreas as well as the people of the whole world who desire peace,” he said.

Later that day, President Moon had a dinner with Cardinal Parolin for two hours at the cardinal’s residence.